Terahertz Photonics

William Marsh Rice University, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

The primary aim of this proposal is the development of diffractive photonic components for the terahertz spectral range, and the exploration of terahertz pulse propagation in strongly diffractive media. One primary aim of this proposal is to develop a range of new and useful optical components specifically designed for the far infrared, or terahertz, spectral range, based on the concepts of photonic crystals. Researchers have made tremendous strides in the use of periodically diffractive materials for optical components, with examples ranging from fiber Bragg gratings to colloidal crystal notch filters. Such systems could also be useful as waveguides, filters, tunable dispersive optics, and as components for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). However, these ideas have rarely been implemented at terahertz frequencies, a portion of the spectrum with increasing technological importance. Another important aspect of the proposed research involves the propagation of THz radiation in strongly scattering media. This area of research has been of substantial interest in recent years, motivated by the prospect of achieving localization of electromagnetic waves. Interestingly, although a clear demonstration of light localization is quite difficult in the optical regime, this research has led to the development of techniques for imaging in turbid media. Since many of the expected applications of THz imaging involve turbid or scattering media, it will be valuable to extend these imaging studies to the THz regime